Quote:
Originally Posted by Drolefille
Eh, it's a quick way to shut down the "Buuuuuuuuuut in MYYYYYY experience..." where they continue to point out an extreme exception that though it did occur doesn't represent reality, or statistical probability. Sure, it can happen but it's an outlier even if it were part of qualitative narrative data. You can't just take things you've seen an extrapolate them to the whole. Or, you can, but you shouldn't expect valid results.
But you know that. I just like it because it's laconic.
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Yes, I know that.
However, "the plural of anecdote" isn't the same thing as saying "buuuuuut in myyyy experience." The real issue is not whether singular or plural experiences are data (they can be) but whether they are generalizeable (singular are not).
I'm more amused that people were debating over who said the original quote, what the original quote was (i.e. the claim that it really is "the plural of anecdote is data"), and yada yada yada.
This made me chuckle:
http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/04/...l-of-anecdote/
*back to eating my pineapple Chobani*